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Geeking Out at AdeptiCon Tour 2017

Geek Nation Tours is very excited to present our tour to the world’s largest tabletop wargaming tournament and convention – AdeptiCon. Here discriminating wargamers from around the world find a multitude of gaming experiences – from tournaments using a variety of different wargaming systems to the very best in gaming and painting seminars. AdeptiCon is also a wargamers’ shopping paradise with a huge amount of vendors waiting to show you their wares. It is a spectacle to be seen and experienced. Game with the best, meet friends from around the world, and roll dice all night long!

AdeptiCon 2017 is sure to be the best tabletop experience ever. The new venue has now become home, with more options and the ability to offer tabletop gamers an unprecedented experience! Geek Nation Tours and AdeptiCon will bring you nothing short of an elite wargamers’ experience.

In the past, Geek Nation Tours brought tour participants Pre-Public guaranteed AdeptiCon registration. We offered those that hop on the tour the opportunity to select AdeptiCon events before the general public and thus insure that tour participants get to grab all the events that they are hoping for. This year is no exception – book prior to October 30th 2016 and you will be able to pre-register for all events in advance of them going public. Don’t come half way across the world only to have the spots you wanted disappear…

2017 will see Geek Nation Tours again include both the Very Important Gamer and Regular AdeptiCon Weekend Pass in the tour price. The package includes Preferred Check-in, an AdeptiCon T-shirt, and an AdeptiCon glass. Not only that – Geek Nation Tours makes your VIG package even better! We love making it easier for our tour participants! We will pick up your tickets, weekend passes and your swag bags for you. Absolutely no waiting in line – just show up at the Welcome Dinner and “bang!” you will receive your loot hassle free (with a few extras from Geek Nation Tours and Ironheart Artisans).

Geek Nation Tours has of course, hotel rooms right at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel! So all you have to do is roll out of bed and into the goodness that is AdeptiCon. But that’s not all! The Renaissance has also given us free Wi-Fi in our rooms for the duration of our stay…

Each year Geek Nation Tours offers an “AdeptiCon Welcome Dinner” where we have had tonnes of Guest Speakers from all aspects of the Wargaming Universe. From Black Library authors Dan Abnett, Chris Wraight, C.L. Werner and Andy Smillie to Game Designers like Andy Chambers. GNT also invites Wargame Industry leaders like Fantasy Flight Games, Mantic Games, Privateer Press and Cool Mini or Not, to Pro Painters Victoria Lamb, Chris Borer, Dave Taylor, Meg Maples, Brandon Palmer, and Sculptor Patrick Keith from Bombshell Miniatures. Of course our Podcasting friends also come join us for some fun and allow fans to visit with the crews from 40K Radio, IndependentCharacters, The Overlords, Bad Dice, Ohiohammer and the Screaming Heretics to name only a few.

This year we will expand the ability to let you meet awesome people in the wargaming industry to every single night we are at AdeptiCon! We will have our Welcome Dinner of course, but because they were so successful (and tonnes of fun) we will again offer our “Meet the Podcasters” RAM night out, then our “Geek Nation Tours Wargaming Industry Leaders” Night and new this year our “Pro Hobbyist One on One Seminar”. We will round this up with our Farewell Dinner and Boardgaming Night with the D6Generation and other guest speakers! Each night will have a multitude of Wargaming Guest Speakers, tonnes of gaming and loads of fun!

Geek Nation Tours is pleased to announce that Mister Justin from Secret Weapon Miniatures will be one of our Guests of Honor at our Welcome Dinner… Further, Richard Loxam and Mat Hart from Steamforged Games (and Guild Ball) AND Bryan Stiltz from Reaper Miniatures will also be attending. We are super excited to announce their participation in our tour!

Justin “misterjustin” McCoy, President Justin McCoy has been an administrative and executive manager for more than 15 years – from Creative Services Manager to Executive Director – and when he and his wife were expecting a child (Shaemus, born 2010) and he decided that the corner office wasn’t compensation enough for the long hours and stress induced ulcer and left them behind to found Secret Weapon Miniatures, Inc. Secret Weapon now manufactures the largest selection of resin base themes on the market, Tablescapes Tiles modular gaming tables, a broad range of accessories, as well as acrylic weathering paints, and dry weathering pigments. Justin himself is an accomplished modeler, with dozens of wins under his belt, including multiple Crystal Brush awards, and others from the gaming world, as well as historical event wins including an IPMS Best in Show.

Day 1 (Wednesday – March 22nd):

Today we will arrive from all around the world! Whether you come from Scotland or Japan, Norway or South Africa, wargamers will converge on the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in anticipation of the awesomeness that is AdeptiCon!

Don’t know how to get to Schaumburg from O’Hare? Don’t worry – we have you covered with Private Transfers all the way to the Hotel. When we arrive our Geek Nation Tours Representative will show you around the hotel and make sure you know where all the AdeptiCon events will take place. Need to know where to go to get a game in? We will be there to help get you going in the right direction hassle and stress free.

If you need to pick up some libations Geek Nation Tours has you covered there too… A few months prior to our arrival we will order from Sal’s Beverage World online. You will be able to get any libations you wish along with flats of water (recommended) and snacks.

Today is the day to pick up your elite swag bag, event passes, weekend badge and all the goodies you get with your Very Important Gamer registration. That is where we come in… Geek Nation Tours will hop in line for you and hand deliver them straight to you at our Welcome Dinner. Not only that we will throw in some cool things from GNT and Ironheart Artisans.

The Welcome Dinner itself will take place at the Renaissance so there is no reason to search for a local restaurant. Tonight we have a long list of Special Guest Speakers lined up… We think you will love who we have to address you this evening… More soon, so return to this page often!!!

Our first Guest of Honor confirmation is Mister Justin from Secret Weapon Miniatures. He will dazzle us with all things Secret Weapon, give us painting tips and just be his awesome self… We are very honored that he is part of our tour! Our second Guests of Honor will be Richard Loxam and Mat Hart from Steamforged Games (and Guild Ball) and we are super excited about hearing about this new fan favorite! Our Third and final guest of honor will be Bryan Stiltz – Customer Relations Officer of Reaper Miniatures! He will come to talk to us about all things Reaper and their rich history in the wargaming industry…

This year Geek Nation Tours will have a two-part Hobby Challenge for all tour participants. It is highly recommended that you bring miniatures to both the Welcome Dinner and the Industry Leaders Night. The crew of the The Nerdherders will be joining us again this year to run some very cool mini games as part of the challenge. Bring a miniature or two and try to get through all the games offered. Oh, and expect prizes!

Dave Farr will bring along Mantic’s The Walking Dead: All Out War. Be sure to bring three zombies of your choice or one Zombie Hunter. Andrew Howard will be running Arena Rex and you can add one gladiator to the ring to see if you are the last man (or woman) standing. Ian Clark and GNT will bring Osprey’s Frostgrave – so be sure to bring a Wizard and two warband members. Ian will also be bringing Mantic’s Dreadball so be sure to bring one Dreadball player from any faction… Matthew Alix (also of 40K Radio fame) will be running small games of a Games Workshop’s new Kill Team game, so make sure you have a three-man squad all worked out to do battle for the Emperor!!!

Get painting everyone! The gladiator arenas await!

Day 2 (Thursday – March 23rd):

AdeptiCon is hopping straight into the 40K Championship but Geek Nation Tours has plenty to do for those of you not rolling dice or jumping into seminars.

Geek Nation Tours has created something new, and a truly epic elite tabletop wargamers experience for this day. Today we will meet between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm as we present our “Pro-Hobbyists One-on-One Seminar”. We have arranged One-on-Onetime with a host of Pro-Hobbyists in order to help each of our tour participants create better miniatures. They will offer tricks of the trade or maybe even help you with a specific project you have in mind. Everyone is sure to come back with another tool in his or her painting arsenal. Bring a miniature, a conversion/sculpting project, or even a picture of something you hope to create and our Hobbyists will be there for you. Dave Taylor can help you with fine detail painting, Brandon Palmer with how to get massive amounts of miniatures painted quickly and Patrick Keithwith how to convert and use green stuff effectively, not to mention our resident Chibi expert Elizabeth Beckley can help you with those anime eyes… Something for everyone and words of advice straight from a Pro to your ears.

A new addition to our Pro-Hobbyists is famed painter Matt DiPietro, best known for his work with Privateer Press… He will be offering up loads of advice and focusing on a new way of painting he has developed – “Sketch Style”. Take a look at it here!

But that is not all! Geek Nation Tours will treat you tonight as we will have an off property adventure that we like to call “Escape from AdeptiCon and Meet the Podcasters Night”. Enjoy the bar atmosphere at the RAM and mingle with your favorite podcasters and tour participants alike. Float from table to table and enjoy an entree ordered right off the menu.

Today is your day to Game and Seminar to your heart’s content. Enjoy AdeptiCon on your own schedule, but always know that our Geek Nation Tours representative will be there if you need anything at all. You will be able to find him in the trenches with you rolling dice and moving miniatures – so beware!

Tonight we have another meal planned for you and past participants agree that our meet-ups are an important part of the convention experience – a time where you can get to know other Geeks from around the world and maybe hear a great suggestion or two on what to do the following days, exchange “war stories” and have loads of fun. You can join us every night or you can do your own thing. Geek Nation Tours wants you to have the most freedom to “Geek Out” as possible, so our meetings will be completely optional and you can come and go as you please.

With that said tonight is going to be huge! We will present our 3rd annual “Geek Nation Tours Wargaming Industry Leaders Dinner”. Tonight gaming companies from around the world will join us for dinner, and as we eat we will be regaled with stories from our Industry leaders as well as talks about who they are, what they offer, and what they are planning for the future. Who knows, we might even get some “New Release” information…!

Our second part of this year’s Hobby Challenge will come after dinner. Each company will offer a unique gaming event. These short events will allow tour participants to hop from one to the other, see the mechanics of each system, and earn special deals. As a matter of fact, each company will be awarding victory tokens to those that show the best sportsmanship, cool cinematic moves, bad dice rolling or for just crushing an opponent. Those that earn the most victories will be awarded some cool prizes from Dicehead Games. There will also be plenty of time to hang out with designers or company leaders to socialize and if you are lucky you can get them to talk about the “old days” of miniature wargaming.

You’ll want to bring your miniatures you painted for our Welcome Dinner and be prepared to lock horns one more time. Mantic Games, however, has added one more direct challenge to all of you, they will be bringing along their Deadzone/Warpath Jet Bike/Chariot race game. So grab a bike and get into the race!

GNT has great news! We have confirmed the following for our Industry Leaders Dinner… Industry giants Mantic Games, Red Republic Games, Anvil 8 Games will again join us for dinner and Q&A. AND we also, have some huge news this year as we have some first time speakers for 2017. We are proud to announce that Warlord Games and Games Workshop will both be joining us for the evening!!!!

Jon Russell and the esteemed Paul Sawyer from Warlord Games will be there, along with Eddie Eccles (Community Manager), Pete Foley (Head of Design Studio) and Jes Bickham (Head of Game Designers) from Games Workshop– all be there to hang out and take questions.

Day 4 (Saturday – March 25th):

Yet another day to live the experience of AdeptiCon and game and seminar to your heart’s content. Your schedule is your own but be sure to join us for another elite gaming experience in the evening.

Tonight be ready to bowl! We will be off as a group to experience Pinstripes Bistro for bowling and bocce. We will also dine and experience their exceptional Italian/American bistro cuisine. Have a craft beer or take in their wine cellar, outdoor patio or fireplace. We will divide up in groups and be lead by an Industry Leader, Pro-Hobbyist, Podcaster or Game designer. Socialize and knock down pins with cool special guests… Not to mention more prizes and tonnes of fun.

Day 5 (Sunday – March 26th):

One more day to game and seminar, but also to take in the Awards Ceremony and see who wins this year’s charity auction army. It is your last day to experience all the goodness that is AdeptiCon so make sure you take it all in!

Right after the closing ceremony Geek Nation Tours will start to wind things down with its “Farewell Dinner”. We will have dinner right in the hotel again, but will order in for a Classic Chicago style dinner at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. Geek Nation Tours knows that gamers love their food and we will ban together as a group to choose our pizzas prior to arrival. This will allow more meal choice and a good chance of getting even better pies! Our mouths are watering even now…

But what would be a Geek Nation Tours meal be without more guest speakers? In past years Geek Nation Tours has had Black Library authors Dan Abnett, Chris Wraight, C.L. Werner and Andy Smillie, legendary illustrator Mark Gibbons, Game Designer Andy Chambers and others join us for a meal. We hope that this will be yet another year of Black Library and Games Workshop goodness. We are still making plans for this evening’s guests, but as they are solidified we will let you know who is coming!

But really an AdeptiCon experience needs to be wrapped up with gaming – so expect to be rolling some dice at the annual “D6 Generation’s Sunday Boardgaming Night”. Whether you hop into boardgaming or just hang out watching – Sunday night is always an awesome night to relax with some less competitive gaming. As a matter of fact, many many laughs are always heard from our tour members this evening. We cannot stress enough how fun this last night is.

Day 6 (Monday – March 27th):

Today we will transfer to the airport and head home. The photos, memories and friends you made are yours to keep forever!

NOTE: Attendance of all special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations.

What is included: All hotel nights and taxes plus free Wi-Fi (we will be staying right on site at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel), Transfers to and from the airport, AdeptiCon Welcome Dinner, escape from AdeptiCon Meet the Podcasters Night dinner, Geek Nation Tours Wargaming Industry Leaders Dinner, Pro-Hobbyist Winners One on One Seminar, Pinstripes Bistro Bowling evening, Farewell Dinner, D6 Generation Boardgaming night. Pre-Public Registration and Guaranteed Gaming and Seminar bookings, Weekend pass and VIG upgrade which includes No line up Preferred Check-in and hand delivery, AdeptiCon T-shirt, AdeptiCon glass, Libation delivery from Sal’s Beverage World, private guide and more fun than you can shake a Goblin at…. Please note that flights are not included.

Pricing: $1499.00 USD+ Taxes and fees ($185.13) per person based on double occupancy

Single Supplement: For those that would like a room to themselves we offer a single supplement for an additional $775.00 USD.

Note on Transfers: All tour participants needing transfers to and from Union Station and Midway Airport will have an additional $110.00 USD Charge.

Note on Special Guests:Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations.

Need a day less? See our Modified Tour below…

Don’t have a friend to get the double occupancy rate? That is what Geek Nation Tours does. Book as a double occupancy and we will match you up a roommate… This way you get the best of both worlds – someone to BS about the con with – and more cash to spend!

Deposit: $500.00

Final: Due upon 1 week prior to the release of our Pre-Public Event Registration normally late October or early November.

Non-Geek Spousal Argument: “But they have Great Non-Geek Spouse tours too…..take a look at this! ”

Tour Photos

Testimonials

Cannot say enough about how fun – and well run – this tour was. I had been away from gaming for a few years and Teras made it easy to jump back in at the deep end. Adepticon was an absolute blast and the tour participants were great to hang out with. Looking forward to 2019!

Adepticon 2018Jeff B, USA

In a word, awesome. GNT takes all of the hassle out of your holiday, and your pre-convention experience. And that starts months BEFORE the tour itself. The hardest part about arranging a trip to Gen Con is the queues and reservations (for dinner, taxi’s, etc). With GNT it’s all taken care of before you get… Read more »